Virtually all motorized land vehicles and marine vessels employ fuel and oil filters. Periodically, these components require removal and replacement. Removing a hot oil filter can be an especially messy and hazardous task. As the filter is removed, engine oil tends to leak onto and coat the exterior of the filter. This makes the filter extremely messy and slippery to handle. A person using his or her bare hands may find it difficult to quickly and firmly remove or reattach the filter. The outer wall of the filter also tends to be extremely hot and can cause a serious burn if it is handled directly.
In addition to the foregoing problems, a previously installed filter is often secured tightly to the engine block and, as a result, is quite difficult to remove without the assistance of a wrench. Various filter wrenches are currently available. Although these devices provide improved torque and facilitate removal of the filter, they typically do not address the problems associated with oil that drips or leaks from the engine when the filter is removed. Oil in an engine is usually under some pressure and leakage is almost invariably exhibited any time the filter is removed, even if most of the oil has already been discharged through a drain. Not only does the oil that leaks from the oil filter receptacle coat the outer wall of the filter, some of the oil is apt to be spilled into the environment (e.g. soil, body of water, etc.). This obviously pollutes the environment and is extremely undesirable. A device is needed which catches the fluid that is normally discharged from an engine into the environment when the filter is removed from the engine.